Activists criticize forestry minister

JAKARTA: Environmental activists criticized new Minister of Forestry M.S. Ka'ban for encouraging exploitation of forests to help the country collect more income.

Longgena Ginting, director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said on Tuesday that forests should no longer serve as a cash cow, because they were now severely depleted.

Longgena said the minister's statement clearly proved he did not really understand the situation.

Ka'ban claimed also said that the forestry sector contributed US$9 million to the state budget under then minister of forestry Muhammad "Bob" Hasan.

The new forestry minister had no idea about the impacts of deforestation, added Longgena. -- Antara